An image obtained by using X-rays is widely used for a medical image of a diagnosis. In recent years, the medical image has been digitalized. For example, CR (Computed Radiography) apparatus is an apparatus which allows a phosphor plate on which a stimulable phosphor layer is formed absorbs X-rays passing through an object, scans the phosphor plate by laser beams to stimulate X-ray energy stored in the phosphor layer to radiate phosphor rays and obtains image signals after converting the phosphor rays to electric signals by using light-electric conversion.
In a conventional method, when taking a radiograph of a patient, a radiologist records radiography execution information such as the amount of x-rays applied to the patient and the direction of radiograph of the patient on a recording sheet. After that a supervisor gathers the recording sheet and controls the radiography execution information in database which is formed by inputting the radiography execution information into HIS (Hospital Information System) controlling information in a hospital or RIS (Radiology Information System) controlling information in a radiology for each patient. However, according to these controlling methods, the radiologist has to record the radiography execution information in the recording paper every time when conduction radiography and input the radiography execution information into HIS. The workflow was complicated and may be troublesome.
In recent years, utilized is a radiography system for simplifying the workload of a radiography management system by connecting the radiographic apparatus to a control apparatus for controlling the operation of the radiographic apparatus, obtaining the radiography execution information from the radiographic apparatus and uploading it into HIS through a network. This is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection No. 2003-8815.
This radiographic system utilizing stimulable phosphor has two types of systems. One is a dedicated system including a phosphor plate (not portable) utilized for both taking a radiograph and reading out the image on the phosphor plate. The other is a cassette type system including a portable cassette with a phosphor plate therein capable of transporting. Here, the radiography of the cassette type system will be described by referring to FIG. 19.
As shown in FIG. 19, a cassette type mammographic system comprises a radiographic apparatus for taking radiographs of the medical images of a patient by using cassette, a reading apparatus for reading the medical image from the cassette and a control apparatus for controlling the reading apparatus to obtain read medial images. The control apparatus is arranged so that it can communicate with HIS or RIS.
In the mammographic system configured as described above, radiographic information, such as patient information, the name of a patient who is going to be an object and sexuality of the patient, and radiographic order information, such as a radiographic body part of the patient and the method of radiography, etc., are issued by HIS/RIS based on a medical doctor order prior to taking radiographs and delivered to the control apparatus. In the control apparatus, when taking radiographs, order information is displayed as a list to do.
The workflow of the radiography in the radiographic system will be described.    1) The radiologist selects radiographic order information for a patient from the list of the radiographic order information displayed in the control apparatus. The selection of the radiographic order information may be conducted prior to the radiography.    2) The radiologist conducts a work called cassette registration to clarify the relationship between the cassette to be used for the radiograph and the radiographic order information. In the cassette to be used, cassette ID is provided to identify the cassette among a plurality of cassettes. The radiologist inputs the cassette ID corresponding to the selected radiographic order information to the control apparatus in the process of the registration work. In the control apparatus, the selected radiographic order information is displayed and the selected photographic order information and the inputted cassette ID are correlated. The cassette ID registration may be conducted after finishing the radiography. A method to register the cassette ID prior to the radiography is called pre-registration and a method to register the cassette ID after the radiography is called after-registration.    3) The radiologist takes radiographs by the radiographic apparatus after confirming the patient to be an object and the radiographic body part of the patient using displayed radiographic order information. In the radiographic apparatus, once X-rays is irradiated and a radiographic image is recorded onto the cassette, radiography execution information is transmitted to the control apparatus.    4) The radiologist sets the cassette in a reading apparatus for reading the cassette. In the reading apparatus, the medical images and the cassette ID are read and the read medical images and the cassette ID are transmitted to the control apparatus after correlating the read medical images and the cassette ID.    5) In the control apparatus, the selected radiographic order information and the radiography execution information are correlated. The medical image transmitted from the reading apparatus has been correlated to the radiographic order information based on the cassette ID. As a result, the medical images, the radiographic order information and the radiography execution information are correlated each other and transmitted to HIS or RIS as additional information of the medical image.
However, according to the method described above, the radiologist has to select the radiographic order information corresponding to the radiography execution information and the selection work is complicated. Especially, in the case of mammography, even for a patient, a plurality of radiographies with different radiographic body parts combined with different radiographic directions, such as MLO-L (medio lateral oblique-left breast), MLO-R (right breast), CC-L, (cranio caudal-left breast) and CC-R (right breast) is common. In such a case, the radiologist has to move to the reading apparatus to set the cassette into the reading apparatus, then come back to the control apparatus to select the radiographic information and move to the radiographic apparatus. The work efficiency is not good.